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Friday, April 27, 2012

Chinese food is my favorite and so being able to make some really good at home is something I am working on. I have found my new favorite Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe. The sauce is sweet with the perfect amount of tang and the chicken is crispy outside and moist and delicious inside. Its so good!

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs and place in the hot oil. Cook your chicken until just browned, don't cook through. Place the chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

3. Whisk together all of the sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour. During the baking process you need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

This is one of my favorite ways to eat salmon. I love the flavor of soy based sauces so this is right up my ally. The sauce is sweet and salty and the salmon is tender and flaky. Its a nice change from grilled salmon.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

As soon as I saw the picture of this recipe I needed to taste it. It was a bit of work so I made it over 2 days, cause the cheesecake had to cool, but it was so worth it. This cake is amazing! There is no other way to describe it. The cake is moist and so chocolaty and the cheesecake is smooth and creamy. The chocolate frosting and ganache pull it all together. You need this cake in your life... Seriously!

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with wax paper. Grease the sides.

2. Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and sugar together. Mixing by hand, add eggs one at time. Blend in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips and pour in to pan.

3. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue baking for 35 more minutes. Remove from oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to release the cheesecake. Cool completely in the pan, then chill in the refrigerator.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of two 9 inch round pans with wax paper and grease the bottom and sides. Bring some water to a boil and keep it simmering while you mix the other ingredients.

Place the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl. Heat cream over medium heat. Remove from heat when it starts to boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 or 2 minutes. Then slowly stir the mixture. Continue to stir until all the chips have completely melted. Stir in the vanilla.

Assembling Your Cake:
Level the tops of the chocolate cake layers. Place one of the cake layers on top of the cheesecake in the springform pan. Invert the pan onto a cake stand, release the spring and remove the pan and wax paper. Top with the second layer of cake and spread your frosting over the entire cake.

Press mini semi-sweet chocolate chips onto the sides of the cake. Put the cake in the fridge for about an hour, then pour ganache on top and smooth with a spatula.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

We always have this at summer barbeques and it's the easiest jell-o salad I know how to make. Its got texture from the cottage cheese and it has refreshing juicy bursts from the mandarin oranges mixed through.

Cottage Cheese Jell-O Salad

1 - 16oz carton Cottage Cheese
1 - 8oz carton Cool Whip

1 - 3oz pkg Raspberry Jell-O
2 small cans Mandarin Oranges

Mix cottage cheese with Jell-O until it dissolves. Fold in thawed Cool Whip. Fold in mandarin oranges. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

My husbands favorite breakfast are waffles. He makes them at least twice a week. This recipe makes a light, crispy, delicious waffle that you don't want to stop eating.

Light & Crispy Waffles

Recipe Source: Cuisinart

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 cups Milk

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until blended and smooth. Coat waffle plates with non-stick cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for 1 square of waffles. Let bake for about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

It has been warm this week and that makes me want summery foods. Jello is one of those foods. This jello is sweet, tangy, and creamy with some crunch from the pretzels. Its at the top of my favorite Jell-O's list.

3. In a medium bowl add packet of Jell-O and pour boiling water an whisk until dissolved. Add raspberries and mix well. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes and pour on top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.